EAST PERRY LUMBER CO. GOES UP AGAINST THE ECO-TERRORISTS

Environmental fascism has come to Southern Illinois in the form of the mangy characters of the Earth First! "movement." These eco-terrorists have laid down their uncompromising demands, and in a Monday morning drizzle a few weeks ago, they threatened violence, lawlessness and even a little bloodshed.

I nominate Brian Unnerstall of East Perry Lumber Company of Altenburg, Missouri for The Legion of Merit. Or a Medal of Honor. Or Special Recognition. Or Something. Faced yet again with enviro-fanatics who will not accept answers repeatedly given by our court system, Mr. Unnerstall responded nicely.

"They're asking us to hold off until they can find a reason to stop us. We're not stupid. We've given them enough opportunities." At last report, East Perry had performed a little tree surgery on trees containing observation platforms of the eco-terrorists, and the timber harvest proceeded.

It's always good to know the nature of one's opposition. The following article excerpted from a 1989 Earth First! publication helps to put the claims and activities of that estimable organization in some perspective.

"Wanted: Eco-Kamikazes

"Are you terminally ill? Do you have AIDS, ALS, brain cancer or syphilis? Don't go out with a whimper; go out with a bang! Undertake an eco-kamikaze mission.

"Yes, terminally ill earth defenders can perform the ultimate act of ecodefense while cheating the Grim Reaper of all the wasting and suffering that precedes these hideous, industrial age deaths.

"Seek martyrdom at Glen Canyon Dam. Blow yourself up and that monstrosity. Free the Wild Colorado!

"The possibilities for the terminally ill warriors are limitless. Dams from the Columbia and the Colorado to the Connecticut are crying to be blown to smithereens, as are industrial polluters, the headquarters of oil spilling corporations, fur warehouses, paper mills ... No doubt you already have a favorite target in your own watershed.

"Here's how it works: Your doctor tells you have (sic) 6-18 months to live. Your condition will steadily worsen. You decide that, rather than endure all that suffering, you'll go out in a flash taking out, say, the Southeast power grid.

"Life is a gift, a blessing. Industrial age wasting diseases epitomize what the industrial age is all about Nature being turned against herself in a death dance.

"Break the cycle! Achieve your freedom by liberating a river or a forest.

"To those feeling suicidal: this may be the answer to your dreams. If you are determined to end it all, don't slink off to some garage and intensify acid rain and the greenhouse effect by CO poisoning. Don't jump off a bridge blow up the bridge! Who says you can't take it with you?

"To the rest of us: the terminally ill and the despondent need our help. They can't do it alone. They need explosives, plastiques, bombs. They need parachutes, planes, houseboats, rocket launchers. Aid an eco-kamikaze. Though gifts are not tax deductible (in fact, we suggest you be anonymous, unless you plan on committing such glorious suicide yourself), Mother Earth will be forever grateful to you. We need an anonymous benefactor to pledge a $100,000 `survivors policy' to the nearest and dearest of any terminally heroic eco-kamikaze defender.

"While eco-defenders are quick to point out that life is sacred and is not a target for eco-defense, many doubt that multinational takeover artists who liquidate old growth forests to pay off junk bonds qualify as life-forms. Such robotoids ... should be classified with dams, dozers and drillers. A `hit list' is available upon discreet inquiry.

"One final thought: from those of you impatient with this admittedly slow pace of ecodefense, contributions are urgently solicited for scientific research on a species specific virus that will eliminate Homo shiticus from the planet. Only an absolutely species specific virus should be set loose. Otherwise, it will be just another technological fix. Remember, Equal Rights for All Other Species!"

From the September 22, 1989 issue of the Earth First! Journal

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Clarence Thomas Watch

This is the first in a periodic feature of this column that will highlight especially horrific examples of the liberal/left assault on Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas. Special attention will be given to the tawdry charges, the mudballs, the unfounded personal attacks, the shrill demagoguery, the intentional distortions, the intellectual dishonesty, and the lies that liberals don't shrink from flinging at this good and decent man.

Viewers have seen for themselves how Sen. Kennedy reads the crib sheets his staff prepares for him for use during the hearings. But there exist many other examples of the left's desperation in opposing Thomas.

One small example is from a August 26, 1991 wire service story. The story related that the Thomas nomination was being opposed by something called the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, legal shock troops for the Thomas lynching crew. An excerpt from that wire service report reads:

"... As a lawyer, Thomas `has apparently never represented a private individual, much less an accused criminal,' the lawyers said, adding that he apparently chose `to spend the bulk of his career employed by the state or federal government.'" (Emphasis added).

Get it? Here is the world as seen through the eyes of the legal attack dogs who represent accused criminals:

Choosing the lesser rewards of public serving for your state and nation in positions of steadily increasing responsibility, and eschewing the greater rewards of private law practice, is dis-qualifying to this distinguished nominee.

The thrashing about of these people is really quite pathetic. Judge Thomas must endure another half-day of Senate hearings Monday morning. He remains an overwhelming favorite for Senate confirmation, but his friends and supporters must remain on guard.